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is past, and now there shall be no change in the regular order of the universe. Politicians arrange their plans, as if they deemed this world, the theatre of their machinations, eternal. Men talk of the march of intellect and spread of knowledge, and anticipate a continual improvement of nations, and calculate on for thousands of advancing years the accomplishment of their schemes, as if they imagined that the tide of events would never come to a full stop. Rarely, if ever, do you find it admitted as a principle, in business, or in books, not especially theological, that we are drawing to an end, advancing to a crisis-not the mere petty revolution of this or that empire, but-the catastrophe

of creation. There are individuals to be sure-and the number is perhaps increasing-who think of and believe in the return of Christ to judgment; but the multitude, the mass of the world, is uninfluenced by such thoughts. The mechanic goes to his daily labour, the merchant to his counting-house, the student to his books, with no apprehension that "the end of all things is at hand." If they credit theoretically the doctrine, they place the facts of it at the telescopic distance of many generations, too remote to be of interest or dear importance to themselves. I say, therefore, that the certainty of Christ's second coming ought to be diligently weighed and I earnestly invite

your attention to the overwhelming evidence of it which the scripture furnishes.

It will be sufficient for my purpose to present to you here, a few of the most remarkable predictions. I take one from the Old Testament:-"I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth *." It is plain that these words do not refer to the first coming of Christ; for, in the following verses, Job connects the coming he refers to with his own resurrection :-" and tho', after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold and not another." Again, on our

* Job. xix. 25, 26, 27.

Lord's ascension, the angels assured the disciples, "this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven *." Again, St. Paul says, "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." And in another epistle, "the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming firet." And once more, in the closing book of scripture we read, "behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth

Acts. i. 11.

+ 1 Thess. iv. 16.

2 Thess. i. 7, 8.

shall wail because of him*."

Some of the

attendant circumstances are also described. The dead are to rise, and the living to be changed for "the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the airt." The world is to be consumed by fire in that day, "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up ‡."

Now I argue, that as the prophecies were fulfilled-exactly-which described

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